Shoe.



v G. L. PIERCE.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED PEIB.17, 1911.

Patented May 7, 1912 I 11 van tor:

-GrEORGE L. PIERCE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1912.

Application filed. February 17, 1911. Serial No. 609,230.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful-Improvements in Shoes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved shoe-construction, andparticularly to athletic shoes where flexibility and lightness arewanted at the shank of the shoe intermediate a toe or tapsole and aheel.

My improvement attains these features with increased simplicity andlessened manufacturing cost.

In the drawings which show one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is aperspective view of such a shoe, with a portion of the upper cut away toshow internal structure; Fig. 2 is a cross section partly in elevationthrough the shank portion of the shoe on the line 22 in Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of the arrow.

I will now describe the devices of the drawings, reserving it to theclaims to point out the novel features constituting my invention and todefine the scope theretif, it being understood that the claims will begiven due range of equivalents.

In the drawings, 1 is the inner sole of the shoe, 2 is the upper or vampwhich after v being lasted may have its lower poron the heel and toe ofthe shoe.

tions secured against the under side of the inner sole by tacks 3orotherwise. I

4 is a heel and 5 is a tap-sole respectively These, of course, may be ofsole leather or rubber or other preferred material for the purpose.

6 is a pad on the shank of the shoe intermediate the heel and tap-solewhich protects the arch of the foot from being hurt without losing thedesiderat'um of flexibility in the shank of the shoe. Further, the padmay be made to give support to the arch of the foot by giving the padsuiiicient thickness to bear on the gtround or floor coincidentally withthe tap-sole alone or with both the tap-sole and heel. In short, thethickness of the pad may I be adjusted to approach to a greater or lessdegree the tread-line of the shoe. The particular pad shown consists offelt or equlval'ent material 8 under a thin or pliant piece of leather 9serving as a coveringstrip to the covering strip 9 if it extend thatfar) at v the heel of the shoe, through the side-edges of the pad 6, theupper, and the inner sole at the shank of the shoe, and through thetap-sole, upper, and inner sole (and the covering strlp if it extendthat far) at the toe portion of the shoe.

7 designates transverse stitching at the heel and 7 at .the toe portionof the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a flexible inner sole; an upper lasted to the innersole; a heel secured to the heel portion of the shoe thereby formed; atap-sole secured to the toe portion of said shoe; and a light Weightflexible pad under the shank of the shoe comprising a pliant coveringsecured under said shank, with its ends extending under the heel andtap-sole, and further comprising a quantity of soft stufling materialbetween said covering and the shank of the shoe.

2. In combination, a flexible inner sole; an upper lasted to the innersole;-a heel secured to the heel portion of the shoe thereby formed atap-sole secured to the toe portion of said shoe; and a lightweightflexible pad under the shank of the shoe comprising a pliantcovering secured under said shank. with its. ends extending under theheel and tap-sole. and further comprising a quantity of soft stuffingmaterial between said covering and theshank of the shoe. said padrounding from its sides to a longitudinal median zone which is thethickest portion of the pad and which approaches the tread-- line of theshoe.

3. In combination, a flexible inner sole;

an upper lasted to the inner sole; :1 heel se- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature cured t0 the heel portion of the shoe thereinpresence of two Witnesses. by formed; a tap-sole secured to the toeportion of said shoe; and a light Weight flexible GEORGE PIERCE padunder the shank of said shoe between its Witnesses: v

tap-sole and heel, said pad consisting of soft E. W. SOIIERR, Jn,

stuffing material under a flexible covering. ALAN C. MCDON NELL.

